Psychiatrists Experience Substantial Burnout, APA Survey Finds

Nearly 80% of North American psychiatrists responding to an online survey reported burnout, and 16% reported symptoms consistent with major depression, according to areport inAJP in Advance.“We believe that these findings have an important workforce policy implication,” wrote Richard Summers, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues. “Because burnout has been associated with a move to part-time status, increased leaves of absence, job change, and early retirement, i nterventions to decrease burnout are also interventions to enhance the psychiatric workforce.”The survey was created by the Board of Trustees Workgroup on Psychiatrist Well-Being and Burnout and open from October 30, 2017, through December 10, 2018. The survey included the 16-item Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) as well as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a common depression screening tool. Both APA members and nonmember psychiatrists were invited to participate, and 2,084 psychiatrists responded.Seventy-eight percent of respondents reported OLBI scores above 35, indicating a positive screen for burnout. In addition, 16% of respondents reported PHQ-9 ≥10, consistent with moderate or severe depression. Of those reporting possible depression, 98% also reported burnout, suggesting a strong overlap of these two problems. However, the workgroup did not find any association between burnout and suicidal ideation after controlling for other depressive symptoms.After adjusting for medi...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: ajp in advance Board of Trustees Workgroup on Psychiatrist Well-Being and Burnout depression psychiatrists Richard Summers suicidality Source Type: research